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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Katie The Cat, 1998-2015

I had to put our Maximum Leader to sleep yesterday. Failing kidneys, a very unhappy pancreas and probable cancer on top of arthritis in her front knees made life worse every day. It was time and she was appreciative.

I'm a bit loopy right now from lack of sleep, emotion and a few other things, but I will say that over the last 16 years, she was a true friend through many tough times.

I remember one time when I was so poor I couldn't heat the house half the time, the outdoor temperature got down into the high 30s. That meant the indoor temperature was in the high 30s, too. She came to bed with me, stared briefly at me with a look of, "You've got to be kidding me" and crawled under all the covers and spent the night snuggled against my thighs for warmth.

Then there was the time she brought a mouse into the laundry room to play with it. She threw it up in the air and then caught it over and over. Until it landed in the hamper. Then she wandered off. Someone else found it in the hamper and shrieked...

We had an arrangement over the last 10 years. She was given one nighttime snack each night at a time of her choosing. People who heard about this thought I was crazy, but it worked for us. Any time she wanted, she would come into the bedroom and make some noise - pushing the door against the wall, plucking the carpet, whatever. I'd get up, go downstairs and give her a snack. Midnight, 1 AM, 2 AM, it didn't matter. If she came in and tried to do it again, she'd get a pillow thrown at her.

She always had a loud purr. I remember her sauntering down the hall to my bedroom, purring. It sounded like a freight train as it echoed off the walls. It was beautiful.

My wife was never a cat person and Katie was affectionate in her own way, which was to say that I understood her acts of love when no one else recognized them. She knew my wife needed something special and so would come out of the house every day to say hello when my wife came home. It truly touched her that this little cat changed the way she did things to let my wife know she was loved. A few head bumps, a brief pat and that was that, time to go inside for food. Katie was still a cat, after all.

Katie was a holy terror with the vet. She tore them to shreds every time they tried to take samples of any kind. My son and I would laugh and say, "3 dead, 2 wounded. The last one managed to pull the fire alarm as he sank to the floor, unconscious from loss of blood." She was all cat, our Katie.

Incidentally, that's where I took my nom de plume. K T Cat was Katie The Cat, her full, proper name. I liked the play on words as KT sounds like Katie.

I'm running out of coherence and I'm sure you've lost interest in the whole thing. Katie and I loved each other dearly. It was hard to see her go, but at the same time, it was the right thing to do.

I'll miss her ever so much.

Her last day, spending a little time in the garden.

Bodie, the larger Catican Guard, was a loving friend to the end.

11 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear. I loved her stories over the years. Your story here is giving me flashbacks of Amelia, Fanio, and Socks.

    She will be missed.

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  2. I'm sorry to hear that. It is always hard when a pet dies, and given that they have so much shorter lives than we do, it happens again and again. It sounds like she was a fine cat.



    (incidentally, I always assumed that you meant KT Cat to be read as "Kitty Cat")

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  3. I'm so sorry for your loss. She had a good life and you still have good memories.

    I always enjoyed the stories. She will be missed by all.

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  4. Ahhhh man, I'm so sorry. I don't live in a cathouse, I live in a doghouse, but it's wrenching when they go. And it's even harder for me to be there with them when they get the shot. But I do it anyway. I've got a 16 year old GSP that gets creakier and more expensive every day. But like your little bud, he's been with me for all 16 of his years. As a matter of fact, he's snoring beside my desk at this moment. It won't be too long 'til I'm writing a post just like yours. It's a blessing they don't know that, I think.

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  5. Jedi Master Ivyan11:29 AM

    Sorry. I know how it is. It's hard to let go. I've enjoyed the stories of Katie and her pictures. Hugs to you, friend.

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  6. We and her many fellow boarders on the Friday Ark will miss the Maximum Leader!

    Condolences!

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  7. Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the kind words.

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  8. I'm sorry, too. I cried reading your eulogy*

    I've lost three cats over the years. And I still miss them. Each one of them had such a unique personality, and were full of love in their social way. I imagine Katie was both much like my little fellas, and her own unique cat at the same time. O know you'll miss her for a long time to come.

    * If the Greek for "cat" is "yalee" would this be a "yaleegy"?

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  9. Deep condolences from Mr an Mrs Ohioan and Scooter.

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  10. Been there, You never forget them. So very sorry, KT.

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